Doing it in an RV...

Doing anything in an RV is possible. You just have to make a few modifications to the way you do it. Using the washer/dryer is great but you have to do much smaller loads. Basically, do a load every other day. We have a washer/dryer in a cabinet in the hallway. At first, I didn't want it but the salesman assured me that I would "love" it. Well, at first I hated it because all of the clothes came out wrinkled. Yes, wrinkled. Once I learned the different settings and how long to run the dryer it worked wonderfully. It's a washer dryer combination. Once the washer part is finished it goes right into the dryer cycle. You can opt out of the dryer cycle and that's what I do with a lot of shirts and pants. There is sadness in paradise because the washer is leaking water so I had to go to the laundromat. The first clue that it was leaking water was when Tom stepped onto a wet carpet when he got up in the morning. Of course, the poor dog got the blame for that at first until we discovered it wasn't him. We had just had the washer fixed in January...the computer memory board had gone out. It is just possible that all that is the matter with it now is that the valves are loose. We did turn the water supply off to the washer so it is no longer leaking water, That leads us to believe it is the hose connections. So tighten them you say! Since it is in a cabinet in the hallway we have to remove the doors and figure out how to convince someone to help us get it out. It is in there very tight. Just another "perk" to living in an RV. We once woke up to water all over the living room and kitchen areas because the water heater sprung a leak. Of course, the heater is under the kitchen sink which requires you find a very, very small person to help you. Tom did replace it himself but it wasn't easy. Drying out the carpet was also another project.

Just another day in paradise...

You know it is just another day in paradise here in California. The weather was perfect yesterday and will be the same today. No rain, it doesn't rain in California in the summertime!! I have added a picture of Oliver since I'm sure I'll be talking about him alot! I seem to be getting new plugs on my appliances because of Oliver. He is a cute puppy who loves to chew.
I spent my day cleaning and sewing. I went through the bathroom cupboards and disguarded lots of out of date medicine. Luckily, we don't take much medicine but those things like motrin and cough medicines have all expired and there were almost full bottles. One expired in 2003! Well, at least the bathroom is clean.
I am making aprons for a shrimp feed dinner we are working the end of August. My next sewing project will be a sweatshirt.
Today is a good day to make a cherry pie. I have some canned cherries so why not. Cooking the cherry juice with sugar and cornstarch is about the hardest part of it. I do add a couple drops of red food coloring to the cherry mixture just to give it a little color. Rolling out the pie crust isn't too bad. To cut a design in the top crust, I use minature cookie cutters that Jessica gave me. I brush the top crust with milk and then sprinkle it lightly with sugar. We don't like a heavy sugary crust. Just keep it simple. Way back in the stone ages I baked a cherry pie and won a blue ribbon. That's when I was in high school. Those home economics classes sure have helped. I remember one of the first things we learned to make was popovers! I have never made them since...don't know why. Maybe I should give them a try again.
We had chinese last night for dinner so we will be eating up the leftovers tonight.
Once I finish the pie, I will sit outside with our puppy, Oliver and read a book.

Trip to LA...

This has absolutely nothing to do with surviving in an RV...I'm back from a day trip to LA. Granddaughter, Paige was going to UCLA for her orientation so I rode along. She went off with confidence to her orientation and we walked around the campus. I'm not a person who likes the heat nor large groups of people. As we walked up and down the campus hills it became hotter. I was able to see Paige's dorm and toured the bookstore. There were lots of young people there for orientation plus lots of younger people there for sports activities and workshops so it was very crowded. With all the people it just became too hot so we decided it was time to leave and see a few things in LA before heading home. Once we left the campus, we decided to go to a grocery store in Beverly Hills. Julie is also a cook and it just seemed like a natural thing for us to do. There was lots of fresh produce and an awesome deli. Once we had toured the market, we drove over to PINKS hot dog stand. It is an LA icon and has been around since 1939. They are known for their chili dogs and onion rings so that's what we had. Then we drove around some of the posh neighborhoods and looked at houses and landscaping. We also saw lots of trendy shops but did not take the time to stop at any of them. Next we went for ice cream and cookies and then drove back through the campus before we headed back north. All in all it was a nice relaxing day.

My Mom...

My mom was an excellent cook. She didn't make any fancy food just plain food. The kind we now call comfort food. I remember watching her and Busia (Polish Grandmother) make homemade bread and chicken and noodles. Those are my comfort foods. There is nothing like a piece of homemade bread and a cup of coffee in the morning. Then curl up on the couch to watch the news! When I was little we would go up to Wisconsin and visit family. My cousin and I would come down those stairs and smell that bread and it was like heaven. So when I get that longing feeling I'll bake some bread and think of my family. Yes, I do bake bread from scratch in the RV. No, I don't use a bread machine. It's just not the same. It's not something you do all the time but it can be done. Back to Mom's food, all of those polish dishes are great. The sausage, dumplings, perogi's, sauerkraut, etc. Watching Mom and Busia make sausage was really something. Grandpa had made Busia a sausage stuffing machine and it was a family treasure. We all need to bring our ethnic heritage into our cooking. My husband loves kuglis which is a Lithuanian grated potatoe dish. I like to make this because we do it together. He hand grates the potatoes and I cook the bacon and onions and add all the other ingredients. I have been out of the RV for a week, staying at our daughter's while they are out of town. The last meal I made in the RV was chicken and broccoli stir fry. It has been in the 100's so I don't think I'll be cooking today.

Cooking in an RV

Welcome to my blog about our RV travels and some kitchens stories.

I have always loved to cook so when we sold our house, I took all those gadgets I had collected over the years and we moved into our motorhome. How can I possibly survive without a crab cracker, a lemon zester or 3 different size whisks!! You know it seemed logical to me at the time. I must admit that every now and then I get rid of a couple unnecessary things in the RV but I'm really stubborn about getting rid of those necessary gadgets. I have pie pans (3), a bundt pan, 2 individual size pie pans, a 9 x 11 cake pan, a 9" round cake pan, 2 different size cheese cake pans, 3 loaf pans...you get the picture. I'm an addict!!! I love to cook and bake and I figure that just because I have a kitchen the size of a bathroom stall that it shouldn't stop me from creating some culinary delights. Well, that's my thoughts for today.